A Slower Way: Cultivating Intentional Presence in Everyday Life
“For if human flourishing requires us to love with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, what happens when nothing in our lives develops those capacities? With what, exactly, will we love?”
—Andy Crouch, The Life We’re Looking For
In this quote, Andy Crouch is pointing at the well-known adage that you can’t pour from an empty cup. It’s very difficult to love others if you’re not receiving love yourself. We are beloved simply by our very existence . . . so why does love seem so hard to access sometimes? How can we develop our ability to love others and tap into the deep well of Divine love that is always there for us?
The pace of life is often too fast for us to notice small, ordinary moments of love, joy, and grace. We turn to technology and forget to connect with the people we encounter in our real lives. Our minds are often too distracted to connect with ourselves or the Creator. We fly from one task to the next—or one app to the next—without time to pause and listen with the ear of our heart.
An invitation toward a slower, more intentional life is one of the things that draws many people to begin a deeper exploration of their spirituality. An encounter with contemplative prayer, meditation, or silence may be the spark that opens our eyes to a different type of life, one in which we feel less rushed and more open to love.
But those sparks are brief. We leave the retreat center or end our prayer time, and we walk back into our lives as they are. We handle caring for elders or children, stressful situations at work, maintaining a home or apartment, and countless other responsibilities. It’s difficult to take that intentional way of life home with you, so to speak. The result is that many of us feel like that slower, more intentional life is waiting “out there” somewhere, beyond the horizon of a big project or a life milestone.
That magical “someday” doesn’t exist. There will always be something to make us feel rushed or distracted. Yet, God wouldn’t invite us to something that’s impossible. With grace and intention, it is possible to cultivate a posture of slowness—even when we live in a culture that seeks endless productivity.
Ask for the grace you need. In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius invites us to ask for the grace we need before entering more deeply into prayer. This is a beautiful practice that can be carried with you throughout your day. When you’re feeling rushed or scattered or are facing a long to-do list, take a moment to pause. Settle into your body and listen for what you need. Perhaps it’s greater awareness of others, more patience, or the focus to concentrate on the work in front of you. Then ask God for the grace to carry you through the day.
Lead with love. Sayings like this can become meaningless platitudes, but to truly live a life of love is quite radical. Consider the most frenzied moments of your day. What would it look like to lead with love rather than irritation, impatience, or exhaustion? Close your eyes and imagine yourself in this scene with love flowing out from you toward those around you. Spend a few moments in prayer with that image and notice how you feel.
Find God in all things. Our Creator did not bring the world to life and then walk away. God continues to inhabit every area of our lives, no matter how small or mundane. As you move through the day, pause now and then to ask yourself where God is right now. Where is Divine Love when you hit a red light while running late, or when you have to talk to someone you don’t particularly like? Accept the invitation to notice God in all things.
Reflect with the Examen prayer. The Examen is an Ignatian prayer of reflection. It can be difficult to find God in all things when we’re in the middle of a situation. The Examen creates space for us to notice what we may have overlooked in the moment. The daily moments of love and gratitude, frustration and despair, all have something to tell us. Working this prayer of reflection into your daily life can be a helpful way to notice God’s movement.
Nurture Your Spiritual Life with Sacred Ground
We know how difficult it can be to care for your spiritual life in a world that tells us to do the opposite. At Sacred Ground, we offer many opportunities to nurture yourself on a deeper level. We invite you to join us in any of these events and groups. Explore where you feel called. All are welcome.
Groundings: Our monthly lecture series runs from September through May, in collaboration with the Ignatian Spirituality Collective. Groundings is for anyone interested in deepening their spirituality, their capacity for deep listening, and their contemplative engagement in our world. Join us in person in St. Paul, MN, or online via Zoom.
Spiritual Direction Formation & Training Program: Sacred Ground’s Formation and Training Program is about inner transformation. If you’ve ever felt a call toward becoming a spiritual director, developing deeper listening, or simply exploring your spirituality in a new way, our Formation Program may be something to consider.
Spiritual Director Development Series: Spiritual directors practice deep listening with others, but they, too, have a need for restorative love. This monthly online series is a space for spiritual directors to deepen and support their practices alongside a supportive community.